“It’s not our money—it’s the student groups’ money,” Nicolais said. “If we don’t recoup these costs, we are in a lot of trouble.”

On the second major point of contention—the listing of the target artists in alphabetical order rather than by bid preference—some council members said they were uncomfortable with the HCC’s resulting autonomy.

Haan and McCambridge defended the decision not to prioritize artists by arguing that the complexity of the bidding process precluded them from doing so.

The council also considered an amendment that would remove a clause in the concert bill that authorized the HCC to pursue any artist not listed in the bill “if necessity requires.” The amendment failed 21 to 4.

Mahan said he is comfortable with granting the HCC more money.

“Given the day-to-day changes that take place in the entertainment world it is crucial that the HCC have the autonomy to switch around the bid order, move the date, or change the amount they are bidding on,” he wrote in an e-mail.

The council unanimously passed a third bill at Friday’s meeting authorizing at least two free advanced movie screenings, sponsored by Alloy Marketing and Promotions, in October at Loews Theatre. The first two movies planned are Friday Night Lights and Alfie.

—Staff Writer Evan M. Vittor can be reached at evittor@fas.harvard.edu.